Behold the first-ever mud house in <a href="http://www.palawan.gov.ph/about.php">Palawan, Philippines.</a> It's an exercise in cooperative design and creative, <a href="http://inhabitat.com/sustainable-building">sustainable building</a> that, upon completion, will withstand years of Palawan’s typhoons, high temperatures, and, yes, termites. The roof is cogon grass from local trees, the frame is <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/bamboo">bamboo</a> from nearby stands, and the walls are made of mud from the ground outside, held up by glass bottles. Read on for an exclusive look inside!

Marcus Swanepoel explains construction while standing in the center of the mud house.

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Electrical socket inside the mud house

The mud house will have conventional electricity.

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Bamboo ceiling of the mud house

The round bamboo ceiling of the mud house is covered with two layers of cogon grass.

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Recycled bottles support the wall of the mud house

Recycled bottles support the mud house walls and filter natural light into the rooms.

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Half drum mixer for the mud.

A half drum mixer blends red clay, rice husks, straw, and water for a strong mud mixture. Workers use their bare feet to mix the mud.

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The backyard of the mud house under construction.

The double-layer cogon roof and the mud house are in-progress in July 2011.

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Roots of Health's Palawan mud house.

Behold the first-ever mud house in Palawan, Philippines. It's an exercise in cooperative design and creative, sustainable building that, upon completion, will withstand years of Palawan’s typhoons, high temperatures, and, yes, termites. The roof is cogon grass from local trees, the frame is bamboo from nearby stands, and the walls are made of mud from the ground outside, held up by glass bottles. Read on for an exclusive look inside!